Power of Stars: Book Three: Warrior
by Pinefur
Summary: Jayfeather has become a warrior, before even the older apprentices. But StarClan has discovered a deadly new prophecy, one that threatens everyone she has grown close to, and Clan rivalry is spreading fast. My version of The Sight. Jaypaw's a shecat here!
1. Prologue

Spottedleaf watched the young warrior with interest as Bluestar flicked her tail calmly.

"What do you mean, you have been waiting for me?" Jayfeather demanded. Her meow was steady, although Spottedleaf could detect a trace of nervousness in the she-cat's voice.

"StarClan has discovered something new, something you need to know," mewed Bluestar.

"What, a prophecy?" The she-cat sounded more interested now than anxious, though she was still wary. The slight wind that wound its way through the starlit forest ruffled her chest fur. "What is it?"

Bluestar glanced a Spottedleaf. The medicine cat stepped forward. "Listen carefully," she meowed, and closed her eyes as Jayfeather watched.

"_The darkness comes from within,_

_And traitors keep to the shadows,_

_A storm brews, and dark clouds gather,_

_From the black comes betrayal,_

_Wind and water will roll together,_

_And the shadows will do the impossible,_

_Then a trickling brook will dry up as the sun drains its strength,_

_And a bird will save the dying embers of ash blowing,_

_To lose one joined in blood instead,_

_But only one can tell the truth,_

_For the lily seems hidden, but it holds a power far greater than any could think_

_And as the sun sets, the lake will burst into the flame,_

_While a dragon's roar signals the end as its blood floods the forest."_

Spottedleaf opened her eyes to find Jayfeather staring at her.

"What?" the ThunderClan warrior asked.

Spottedleaf purred. "You will remember when the time comes. Now go back." She padded forward and touched Jayfeather's forehead with her muzzle.

The warrior shivered and vanished, back in the waking world.

Spottedleaf turned to Bluestar. The leader sat calmly, her eyes shining.

"Now, we wait."


	2. Chapter 1

** Oof. I have not updated this for a really long time. But feel happy! Because now I have a forum called Hated Ash about Ashfur, so you can go there and fight about whether he's a traitor or not! It's basically for stating what you think about Ashfur, because lots of people were/are arguing about if he's evil.**

Jayfeather opened her eyes quickly, words that she couldn't remember ringing in her head. Movement caught the she-cat's eye and made her turn around. Liontail was stretching beside her, and Jayfeather gave her brother a friendly lick. "How it is to be a warrior?" she meowed, flicking her tail gently.

Liontail purred. "I can't believe it! And we're still young to be made into warriors, too! Think it was because of-" He stopped, and they both remembered the strange thing that had happened at the RiverClan camp. "-The battle?"

"Maybe," frowned Jayfeather. The memory of that was now hazy to her for some reason.

"Hi!" mewed a voice, and Jayfeather looked up as Honeystreak padded in. "Warriors, huh?" The she-cat purred. "Now you don't have to do boring apprentice tasks!" she joked.

"Yeah!" meowed Liontail, standing up. "I'm hungry. I'm going to go hunting."

"Me too!" announced Jayfeather, and she rose to her paws. "Come on, Liontail. See you later, Honeystreak!"

Honeystreak dipped her head and the two new warriors left.

"Hello, Jayfeather! Hello, Liontail!" Sorreltail called from across the camp where she was sitting with Daisy. Jayfeather acknowledged the queen with a flick of her tail, and followed her brother past the dwindling fresh-kill pile.

Firestar was at the entrance to the camp. "Off to go hunting?" he guessed as the warriors neared him. Liontail dipped his head. "Good, we need more prey. Brambleclaw, Thornclaw and Brightheart are already out on a patrol, but it will be good to have you two bringing back some food as well."

"Okay," Jayfeather mewed, and they walked through the thorn tunnel and into the trees.

* * *

Jayfeather dropped a swallow and a squirrel on the fresh-kill pile as Liontail set his mice down. The hunting had gone well, and now there was plenty of food for ThunderClan. Firestar was nodding approvingly as more cats appeared, carrying finches, rabbits, and other prey.

Liontail picked up a squirrel and padded across the camp to eat. Jayfeather decided on a blackbird, and she joined her brother on the other side of camp, near the warrior's den. They sat in silence for a few minutes then Liontail looked up. "I like being a warrior," the tom finally declared.

Jayfeather was about to agree when she sensed a cat watching her. She swiveled her head around and caught a cat staring at her. It was Ashfur; that was no surprise, he was her mentor. The gray tom dipped his head to her slightly, and padded away, proud that his apprentice was a warrior. Jaypaw shifted her gaze as the sensation of being watched returned, and noticed Cloudtail sitting in the shadows alone. The white warrior narrowed his eyes at her, and Jayfeather remembered that he was angry because she was the only cat that really trusted Ashfur, who he seemed to hate.

Suddenly she shuddered unwillingly, part of her dream became clear again. Words echoed in her mind menacingly.

_The darkness comes from within…_

**Yes, I know that the prophecy was kind of obvious. But it's still a prophecy, and it took a while to come up with one that long, so give me credit for that!**

**Meanwhile, go and argue about Ashfur! -grins- **


	3. Chapter 2

**I am finally updating! Sorry – I was working on other stories and then I was on a two week long trip and then I came back and worked on other stories again! But now I have posted this chapter, and the next will hopefully come soon.**

"Jayfeather – are you okay?"

…_and traitors keep to the shadows…_

"Jayfeather. Jayfeather!"

"What?" Jayfeather snapped out of her thoughts, spun around stiffly, and saw Liontail watching her. The golden-brown furred tom cocked his head to one side.

"You were staring into the distance, and then a scared look came into your eyes." Liontail touched his sister's ear with his muzzle. "Are you okay? You seemed really worried."

Jayfeather blinked, and shook her head to clear it. "Yes – no – I mean, I'm fine." She shot a quick glance at the shadowy place again, but Cloudtail was gone. "Really, I'm okay."

"If you say so." Liontail shrugged and started grooming his pelt.

Jayfeather stood up. "I'm going to hunt."

Liontail glanced up. "But we just finished hunting. You want to go _again_?"

Jayfeather turned away. "Yes." She desperately needed to find somewhere to think about the two lines from the dream. She still couldn't remember the rest of what she had heard. "Just for a little while. I'll be back soon."

Liontail watched her warily for a moment. "Fine, you're a warrior now. Do whatever you want to." He lowered his head and started washing his paws. Jayfeather wished that she could tell her brother about the strange dream, but somehow she knew that the words were for her alone. Slowly she padded away from the tom.

Jayfeather walked across the camp to the thorn tunnel. Before she went through, she looked back one last time, but Cloudtail had gone. The she-cat shook her suspicions out of her head as she padded through the barrier and into the trees. Cloudtail was a loyal ThunderClan warrior. But she still couldn't forgive him for stirring up hatred towards Ashfur and his former apprentice, Birchleaf.

_What if he's _not_ loyal?_ The quiet voice crept into her mind before she could stop it. Cloudtail was Firestar's family! Of course he was loyal to his Clan.

But family didn't always mean everything. What about Brambleclaw? He was nothing like Hawkfrost – or Tigerstar. A shudder ran down her back. _She_ wasn't like them, neither were Liontail and Hollypaw.

Jayfeather stopped in a clearing surrounded by ferns. Finally, a place to rest and think about her dream. The brown she-cat lay down on the soft grass and rested her head on her paws.

All she could remember was the faces of two cats – Bluestar and Spottedleaf. Then Spottedleaf had spoken. _A prophecy_. Jayfeather flicked her tail. How many prophecies did StarClan have to give out? There seemed to be hundreds of them!

Maybe she should sleep and ask Spottedleaf for help. With a flash of amusement, she remembered hearing that Firestar often did the same thing. _Maybe family _does_ affect who you are. _

Jayfeather closed her eyes, and the two lines that had come back to her at the camp flitted through her mind again.

…_The darkness comes from within,_

And traitors keep to the shadows… 

The young queen shuddered. So Firestar was right – there _was_ a traitor in ThunderClan. Her fur bristled at the thought. No cat was safe. The traitor had to be found.

Once again Cloudtail flickered into her mind, but with a surprising new thought. _What if all the other cats are right, and it _is_ Ashfur or Birchleaf?_ No. Ashfur was her mentor! She would know.

Of course, he did act suspiciously wary, but moons of having other cats hate him must have made him cautious. Jayfeather narrowed her eyes. They had no proof! Defiance rose up inside of her.

But there _was_ a traitor somewhere, and she had to find which cat it was. A chill rippled down the she-cat's spine. Until she found the cat, ThunderClan was not safe – from enemies both outside and in.

**Sorry for the strangeness at the end. It was probably boring. But anyway, PLEASE review, I always ask that. Even if you hate it, just say something so I can make it better. But if you want to ramble about Ashfur being a traitor or not, go to my forum, Hated Ash.**


	4. Chapter 3

**I know I need to update more often… hopefully you didn't forget what was happening or anything! I'm working on other stories mostly… read them too! Or not. But I might not update this for a while.  
**

Jayfeather blinked open her eyes as sunlight warmed her fur. She hadn't realized that she had fallen asleep where she was crouched in the undergrowth. The sun was low in the sky now; the other cats would be wondering where she was.

As the she-cat stood, a dream slowly returned to her. She had been walking through a forest, but it was not on ThunderClan territory. Suddenly a strange cat had jumped in front of her, blocking her path, meowing words she couldn't remember.

A bush shook in front of her. Jayfeather jumped, thinking of the cat in her dream. A familiar scent washed over her, and she started to relax, although she only remembered smelling the scent once before.

Then a massive black and white head thrust its way at her.

Badger!" Jayfeather yelped, and stepped back. Then she recognized the creature. "You! What's your name… Midnight!"

The badger blinked at her. "Young warrior, ThunderClan cat. You were there when I came with the fiery star to your camp."

"Yeah," agreed Jayfeather, thinking of when Firestar had lost a life and Midnight had brought him back. "You never did tell us what you came for."

Midnight dipped her head. "Then was not the time for cats to know. I return now to speak of what I learned. It involves the Clans." Her small eyes glinted. "And you, young warrior."

Immediately Jayfeather was alert, and her fur prickled uncomfortably. A memory stirred in the back of her mind, of a warning, a prophecy, in a dream that she didn't remember…

"StarClan has a message for you," rumbled Midnight. "They said they will tell you as you sleep."

"Yes, I know," meowed Jayfeather. "They sent me a dream, that's why they wanted you to tell me before."

"They spoke to you already?" Midnight scratched her head and eyed the strong she-cat. "You are an unusual cat, little one. Your destiny is clouded, many paths are open. It is blood-stained…"

Jayfeather felt herself chill. Suddenly a beam of sunlight hit her in the eyes, and she reeled back. Midnight's head snapped up, to stare at the setting sun. "When the river and wind met, the impossible is not so hard after all," she murmured.

Jayfeather breathed in quickly. "What?" she whispered.

Midnight's eyes dulled. Slowly she turned back to the new warrior. "Listen to the starry Clan. You will remember in time." Without warning the badger turned and vanished into the forest.

_Great StarClan, what was that all about?_ wondered Jayfeather. _That was really weird._

"Midnight!" she called out. "Wait!" Stumbling through the forest, she tried to chase Midnight. But the badger had disappeared.

**I'm really sorry, but I'm getting writer's block on this. I'll try to get the next chapter soon, but I can't promise anything. This is the last book in the series but I don't have a lot of ideas for how to complete the whole prophecy and not make the story really boring. This fanfic might me on hold for a little while until I finish some of my other stories and have a chance to get back to this one.**


	5. Chapter 4

**I updated! It took a while. Sorry. I'm running out of ideas.**

"Where have you been?"

Jayfeather blinked as Lionheart burst through the gorse tunnel and ran up to her. "What are you talking about?" she demanded.

"Ferncloud's kits are having their apprentice ceremony!"

"Ferncloud's kits?"

Liontail stared at her. "You don't remember?"

Jayfeather felt her fur bristle in embarrassment. "No… oh wait." She remembered hearing a snatch of conversation about new kits. "Sorry… I forgot."

"Well, hurry!" The she-cat's brother ran back into the camp. Jayfeather bolted after him, hoping that no cat would notice that she had entirely forgotten about the new kits. She felt a wave of humiliation as she crept up to the back of the gathered cats just as Firestar called two nervous looking kits to the Highledge.

"Turtlekit, Wolfkit, please come forward."

A dappled she-cat and gray-brown tom blinked and crept towards their Clan leader. Jayfeather saw Ferncloud watching from the edge of the gathered cats, urging them on silently. The gray she-cat's eyes were full of pride.

"Turtlekit, Wolfkit, you have reached age of six moons. It is time for you to become apprentices. From now on until you get your warrior name you will be known as Turtlepaw and Wolfpaw." Firestar turned to a golden brown tom waiting eagerly at the base of the Highledge. "Thornclaw, you did well with your last apprentice. You are to be Turtlepaw's mentor."

Thornclaw stood up and touched noses with his new apprentice. Turtlekit's eyes were wide with excitement and she darted off to where Cinderpaw was sitting.

Firestar gazed down as he continued. "Wolfpaw, your mentor will be Sandstorm." The tom blinked nervously, then padded up to his mentor.

The ThunderClan leader looked down at them thoughtfully. "This Clan meeting is over."

Turtlepaw and Wolfpaw sprang up and ran to their mother. Ferncloud covered them with licks as they spoke excitedly.

The rest of the Clan moved away, talking. Jayfeather turned to her brother. "It wasn't such a big deal."

"But what if you miss it when you're going to be a mentor?"

Jayfeather flicked Liontail with her tail in amusement. "That won't happen for a while. We were just made warriors, remember?"

Liontail shrugged.

Jayfeather mewed in exasperation and batted at the tom playfully. Liontail ducked and swiped at her with his claws sheathed. Jayfeather leaped onto his back and bowled him over, pinning him down.

"Okay! Let me up!" Jayfeather released Liontail and he stood, panting. "Thanks," he muttered.

Jayfeather purred. "Do you want to come hunting?"

"You just went hunting," Liontial reminded her. "But you didn't bring back anything," he added half-suspiciously.

"I was thinking," the she-cat told him. "And then you came and told me about the apprentice ceremony." She decided not to say anything about Midnight.

"Ever since the RiverClan battle you've been distracted," Liontail meowed.

"Do you blame me?" Jayfeather lowered her voice. "Every cat thinks we have some magical power. I don't know why the battle stopped when we wanted it to." She decided not to tell Liontail about her dream, either.

The tom shivered. "Let's not talk about it."

"Okay." Jayfeather shuddered. _What did we do then?_ she wondered. _What… happened?_ She pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind and hoped they would stay there.


End file.
